


Could You Fix Me Too?

by grace017



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Big Brother Jughead, Broken Families, Car Garage, Divorce, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gladys Jones is a Bitch, Grease Monkey Betty, Hurt Betty Cooper, Lies, Mentioned Southside Serpents Gang, POV Jughead Jones, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Protective Jughead Jones, Sad Jughead Jones, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 02:25:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18228647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grace017/pseuds/grace017
Summary: Jughead Jones struggles to get some balance in his life as his mother flees town, leaving him grappling with his reign over the serpents, helping to look after his little sister and some all-new feelings when he meets the new girl hiding in Southside.How will he deal with these emotions and the possibility of falling in love? Apparently, not very well.ORJughead has a lot on his plate – but what's new?





	1. Goodbye, Mom.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> So here's the first chapter of a new fic I've been working on...  
> Just a few heads up:  
> Gladys Jones is the worst  
> FP Jones is a sweetheart  
> and we don't meet Betty in this chapter, so the best is yet to come ;)
> 
> I hope you enjoy and as always please let me know what you think and whether you'd like to read more of this story!

Jughead sat on the edge of his little sister’s bed, eyes burning holes straight through the wooden door that separated Jellybean’s bedroom from the blazing row happening on the other side. The paper thin walls of the trailer did nothing to dampen the shouting between his mother and father and nothing to muffle the sounds of glass smashing as various ornaments and pottery were launched across the kitchen - all from the hands of his traitorous mother he might add.

With the sound of Jellybean’s sleepy snores and heavy breathing just behind him, Jughead decided enough was enough. He needed to support his father this time. Gladys had ordered him to stay in his sister’s room until he was told otherwise, but Jughead wasn’t a child anymore. He had graduated from high school, turned 18 years old and was pretty much the Serpent King (minus some final jacket hand-over ceremony FP _insisted_ that he needed to perform).

Besides, he knew his father better than anyone. He knew that FP had a heart of gold underneath all of that heavy leather and would crumble as soon as Gladys played her trump _‘I’m the mother of your children’_ card, or maybe her smash hit _‘Do you want to be responsible for breaking up this family again?’_. He needed Jughead’s support on this one.

It was Gladys who was in the wrong this time. It was Gladys who had been lying to them for all these years. It was Gladys that needed to go.

He exhaled sharply, nostrils flaring as his hands subconsciously reached up to tug down on his grey beanie.

“Don’t!” he heard his father shout just before a loud smashing noise echoed around the trailer.

“Jughead _made_ me that in kindergarten!” FP cried.

And with that Jughead rose to his feet, checking over his shoulder to make sure his sister was still sound asleep, before leaving her bedroom and softly closing the door behind him. With the volume of the rest of the night’s events he wasn’t sure why he even bothered trying to be quiet.

Slowly turning around, Jughead took in the scene before him. Gladys stood in the kitchen breathing heavily, glaring back at him with such rage that Jughead nearly walked straight back through the door and tucked himself into the tiny pink bed with Jellybean. Furniture had been flipped and glasses and plates shattered across the floor. He scanned across the room to see FP crouched down, desperately trying to pick up the pieces of the clay snake that a very proud 5-year-old Jughead had come home with for his dad all those years ago.

 

_“It’s the one on your jacket Daddy” he had exclaimed as he presented the slightly dodgy looking sculpture._

_“Wow buddy, thanks!” FP had chuckled, taking the long sausage-like creation from his son’s hands and proudly placing it on the coffee table “This can be our mascot for life, what d’ya say boy? In unity there is strength!”_

 

How ironic, Jughead thought, that their mascot through life would reflect their family so vividly. Now broken and shattered, just like them.

“Who said you could come out?” Gladys growled, snapping Jughead straight out of his reverie.

Jughead scoffed and took a long stride towards the kitchen, mustering as much confidence as he possibly could whilst his insides swirled with both fear and rage.

“I think its time you packed your bags, _Mom_ ” he spat, never quite meeting her eyes. Jughead couldn’t help but feel hurt by the week’s revelations. His own mother had been lying to them for his entire life. She didn’t really love them, it was all an act.

Suppressing every happy memory of her, Jughead swallowed thickly before walking over to the kitchen counter. “And I don’t mean these ones” he added as he picked up an innocent-looking cereal box that was in fact filled with bags and bags of a suspicious white powder.

He slammed it back onto the counter top with a thud, momentarily forgetting the sleeping four-year-old in the next room.

“You told the kids?!” Gladys screamed, now directing her anger back at FP.

“It was Jug who found all of your kit, Gladys! You can’t get out of this now, we followed your trail and questioned every single one of your damn junkies because _Lord knows_ I didn’t want this to be true!” FP shouted back. “I know you’ve been making and selling this shit for as long as we’ve been together.”

Jughead heard the crack in his father’s voice as he finished speaking. He wanted to cry for him, for his parents and the life they once had. But she’d tainted all of it.

He almost threw up there and then as he watched Gladys suddenly decide to change her tactic. She ran across the trailer, throwing herself at FP, clutching onto the lapels of his strong leather jacket and pleading softly. Almost as if she knew she had been backed into a corner.

“I was blackmailed into it baby, I swear, I thought our family was at risk! You know me FP, I wouldn’t do this to us” She begged. “You _know_ me” She repeated as she leaned in closer, their noses almost touching as she smoothed her hands across his chest.

Jughead wasn’t in the mood for her shit, not this late in the game. All of her skeletons were out of the closet and dancing around in the light of their trailer. There was no way she could talk her way out of this one.

Finding out his mother was single-handedly responsible for the horrific drug trade running through the streets of Riverdale wasn’t exactly the highlight of Jughead’s week.

 

He had picked up a note posted through the trailer’s door a few days earlier simply reading _‘Overstock. Trying to deal with it ASAP. 355 Pickens Street.’_ with a key taped to the back. Without thinking too much about it, Jughead assumed it was meant for him. Stepping up to be the Serpent King had brought a whole bunch of responsibilities and jobs his way and he thought this was another one of them. Maybe something to do with the bar? Toni was always messing up numbers when she ordered stock for the Whyte Wyrm.

As it turns out, 355 Pickens Street is an old warehouse on Southside, not too far from their trailer. But it wasn’t a crate of liquor that stood waiting for him. It was three crates _full_ of liquids, powders, Fizzle Rocks, vials and all sorts of equipment that looked like something straight out of Breaking Bad. If only Walter was responsible for this load too.

Jughead was frozen in place with shock and confusion. He and FP had been pushing for years now to rid the Serpents of drugs and crime, but anonymous dealers had always outsmarted their every move. Somehow they were always a step ahead.

After calling his father and his trusted inner circle Serpents, the team set a plan in motion to send Sweet Pea and Fangs undercover. They quickly sniffed out the weak junkies and their sellers, following the trail and using their extra knowledge of the warehouse stock as leverage. It had only taken them 4 days to come back to Jughead with whispers of his mother’s involvement. At that point, he took the matter into his own hands. In the back of his mind he knew this was possible from the moment he found the drugs in that cold warehouse stock room. After all, the note was intended for somebody in their trailer and it sure as hell wasn’t him, he would bet his life that it wasn’t his father, and with the chances of a four-year-old girl being the infamous Southside drug lord looking rather slim, that left all eyes on one Gladys Jones.

After running home and raking through every corner of the trailer and gathering all the evidence of drug-related business onto the kitchen table, Jughead called his dad to talk over a plan of how they would confront her. When FP arrived home to the sight of deathly-looking equipment, bags of strange powders hidden in everyday objects and folders full of all of her trading receipts, he broke down completely. With hard core evidence, there was no denying this. It was real. The paper trail of Gladys' ‘business’ went all the way back to 1996, the year they got married.

FP told Jughead he would deal with it as soon as Gladys came home with Jellybean.

 

And that’s how they ended up here, with an eerie silence now hanging in the air.

Jughead cleared his throat, interrupting Gladys’ cosy little moment. It seemed to do the trick as FP took the cue from his son and snapped back to reality. Glancing over Gladys’ shoulder, they locked eyes and Jughead saw the sparkle drain right out of his father’s eyes, a pure darkness taking its place.

He stepped back from Gladys, pushing her hands away as his lips curled into a grimace.

“No, turns out I don’t know you. And I don’t think I ever did.” FP barked as he turned and walked towards the door.

“You can’t leave me baby, please, I’m begging you! We only started this family because _you_ wanted children, don’t you dare walk out on me now.” Gladys cried, frantically throwing her hands up in the air, “I stayed with you through your drinking problems FP, you have no right to judge anything that I do. You owe me.”

FP slowly opened the door, a small smirk on his face as he looked back up at his wife.

“Don’t worry I’m not going anywhere” he said sincerely, “You’re the one that’s leaving.”


	2. Broken Families, Broken Bikes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We stick with the Joneses as they work through the aftermath of Gladys leaving..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter of my little Bughead fic, I can't wait to hear what you guys think!  
> We're still pretty much in the Jones trailer for now, but Betty will make an appearance soon I promise!  
> Hope you enjoy :)

“Bitch!” he heard his father curse under his breath, “She took the good bike” FP mumbled with a heavy sigh.

Jughead stepped closer to the doorway, following his father’s eyeline straight out of the trailer’s front door, still swung wide open. Both of the Jones men were left stood staring through the open doorway with their jaws hanging open and fists clenched tightly at their sides.

“That _Bitch_ ” He muttered.

Like father, like son.

 

With a harsh exhale through his nose, Jughead turned to place a hand on his father’s shoulder, “looks like you drew the short straw dad, guess you’ll have to put up with the old banger” he nodded towards the neglected bike that lay on the ground in front of the trailer, untouched for as long as Jughead could remember “oh, and me and Jellybean too” he smirked, patting his dad’s shoulder before walking across the trailer. He subtly grabbed the last beer in the fridge, not that he particularly wanted a drink (or even liked beer for that matter), he just didn’t want to leave any form of alcohol within reach of his dad. Not when he was at such a low. That would be as disastrous as waving a burger in front of Patrick Star, or Jughead himself come to think of it.

He shuffled across to Jellybean’s room as he knocked back the beer, wanting to check that all of the chaos hadn’t woken the tiny girl. Tonight was certainly not an evening of memories he wanted etched into her brain forever. He wanted her to remember her childhood fondly, with happy memories of all four of them huddled together on their single sofa watching crappy movies with a big bowl of popcorn grasped tightly in her little hands. Or the late night trips to Pop’s diner and sometimes the Drive-In with their dad.

Jellybean’s room remained cloaked in darkness, almost as if untouched by their whirlwind of a mother. She was curled up in the exact same place as Jughead had left her just moments before, her arms wrapped tightly around her comforter and her face squished into her soft pink pillows. For a tiny four-year-old, _damn_ the girl could snore. No wonder Gladys’ shouting hadn’t disturbed her, she wouldn’t hear a thing over the volume of her own snuffling. Jughead smiled to himself as he leant over to kiss her head, softly pulling the blankets up and tucking her in soundly.

At that moment, Jughead heard someone rustling in the main room of the trailer. As he poked his head out of the door to check on FP, he was met with the heart-breaking scene of his dad slowly closing their front door and sliding the dead bolt lock into place. Even throughout the hardest moments of his life, he’d never seen his father’s shoulders hung so low. Jughead forcefully swallowed down the lump rising in the back of his throat as he watched his dad closing the door on this chapter of their life. FP stepped back and anxiously rubbed at his neck before he turned and lifted his head to meet Jughead’s gaze. Both men stood with a heavy weight on their hearts, knowing that the Jones family would never be the same again.

“How’s JB?” FP’s broken voice cut through the silence hanging in the trailer.

“Still asleep” Jughead replied “And still snoring like a trooper” he smiled at his dad. FP returned the gesture with a small smile that never quite reached his eyes.

“Thank god” The older man breathed.

“Uh… Dad, look I just wanted to- ” Jughead started, a clumsy attempt at consoling his father. But FP refused to let his son take the emotional torment of this mess caused by Gladys. Not on his watch. He gently held his hand up to stop Jughead from talking.

“Not tonight, Jug, let’s just get some sleep and we can try to face this in the morning” He spoke.

Jughead softly nodded in agreement, clearing his throat before FP crossed the trailer to join him by Jellybean’s room.

“We’ve gotta keep this all together for her” Jughead sighed as they watched over the youngest Jones.

“And you, boy. You’re still my baby too” FP added as he grabbed the grey beanie and ruffled his son’s messy black hair.

Jughead felt his heart warming at his father’s words and even more so as he watched FP curling up next to Jellybean, cuddling her close on the tiny bed and gently pushing his beanie on top of her small head. From his position leaning against her doorframe, Jughead could see the tear that ran down his father’s cheek reflecting the moonlight brightly. He dropped down onto the beanbag in the corner of the room, resigning himself to yet another night deprived of sleep. But he just couldn’t bring himself to leave.

That room now contained his whole family. His entire world. Only a cold-hearted bitch could walk out on that.

 

\----------

 

The following few days were hard for the Joneses. Not only did Gladys leaving impact on their emotional and mental states as a family, but also on their image. And as the rulers of the Serpents, the Jones family had a very important image to keep up.

People played ignorant and turned a blind eye, but of course everyone knew what had happened. News travels fast in a small community like the Serpents and when it concerned the gang’s leaders, people were even more intrigued. Still, no one had the balls to ever speak her name. Especially not when Jughead or FP were around.

It was almost as if Gladys had never existed. Jughead liked it that way.

 

But the Serpents kept a united front, after all ‘ _In unity there is strength_ ’. People of all ages had frequently stopped by the Jones’ trailer with home-cooked meals in tow, or offers of taking young Jellybean off their hands for a few hours, or even just for a ‘chat’.

It’s not that Jughead didn’t appreciate all of their help and concern, its just that he preferred to keep his problems to himself. Nobody else should have to deal with his ugly life issues. And nobody else should be able to judge him simply because of some gossip they’d heard.

 

Despite all of this, the hardest person Jughead had to face was his little sister. Every morning, every night and several times during the day Jellybean would ask “When’s mommy coming home?” and his heart would break a little more each time.

He couldn’t bear to look into those puppy dog eyes and tell her the truth – _Never._ So instead he found himself scrambling for some kind of cover story every time she asked.

_“She’s gone out to the Toledo bike shed for work JB, it’s gonna take a while.”_

_“She’s visiting grandma and grandpa whilst she’s away”_

_“Not for a while yet, I’m sorry Jelly”_

_“No she probably won’t be back for your birthday, but you still got me and dad right kiddo?!”_

Sometimes he couldn’t even bring himself to answer. He’d distract her with a toy or a book or some food or literally anything he could think of to avoid the questions about their mom. He didn’t know why he was even covering for Gladys. She didn’t deserve to have Jellybean’s love and devotion, but Jughead couldn’t quite face the thought of crushing her heart by telling her that her mom was a lying, scheming, evil motherfucker who had ran out on all of them without even looking back.

 

About a week after Gladys’ great escape, FP decided it was time to face the music. He needed to tie up all of the loose ends left by his wife’s drug running as well as researching whether or not it was possible to legally divorce her without ever having to see her face again.

Jughead had heard laughter from the front of the trailer and put his book down next to his empty cereal bowl, using his spoon as a make-shift bookmark.

_Men laughing? In his trailer park? At 10 in the morning? What the fuck is going on?!_ Jughead mused to himself.

As he reached the front door he recognised the voices before he even opened it. On the driveway, his dad was stood talking to Sweet Pea and Fangs, two loyal Serpents that Jughead had grown up with.

They were also two of the biggest dipshits he’d ever had the honour of meeting.

 

“She’s a lot of things but stupid ain’t one” Jughead caught the end of his father’s comment as he motioned to the useless bike lying on the ground.

Fangs sucked in a breath through gritted teeth as Sweet Pea slapped FP on the shoulder.

“Don’t you worry ‘bout it old man, there’s nothing we can’t fix down at the garage” Fangs supplied helpfully, giving FP a cheeky smile.

“We?” Jughead challenged, a playful glint in his eye.

“Fine, _they_ ” Fangs sighed as the other men chuckled “Whatever Jug, it’s my family so I claim bragging rights.”

“If you think someone can fix this baby up I’d owe you big time Fogarty, no matter who does the fixing.” FP replied.

“Course boss, I’ll get it down there today” Fangs gave a mock salute as FP nodded his thanks.

“Well I need to get going boys” FP laughed as he began strolling to the sidewalk, shrugging his leather jacket over his broad shoulders “Places to go people to see.”

“Later, Dad” Jughead called after him.

 

“Shit!” Fangs exclaimed as he looked down at his phone, “I need to go pick my brother up for his interview, I completely forgot” The young man started fussing so quickly Jughead almost found it comical. He quickly scrambled to his car at the roadside, turning back over his shoulder to shout “Pea, the bike’s on you today, just take it down to my grandpa and tell him it’s a favour for FP, thanks man!”

He didn’t give Sweet Pea a second to blink, never mind give an answer before he revved the engine and sped off down the street.

“Close your mouth Pea, you’re catching flies” Jughead quipped at his friend.

“I - I can’t take it there Jug” Sweet Pea began to ramble “look I’d do anything for you and your dad, you know that, but I’m not sure today is a good day for me to head to the garage”

Jughead grew concerned as he furrowed his brows at Sweet Pea’s flustered state “Didn’t you used to work there like every day?”

“Yeah… _yeah_ , I did! Good point Jones, I’ll just take a look at it myself! I mean I don’t have all the tools but I have a few and that’s probably a good enough start for me to do some diagnostics and see if we can sort out a few of the bigger problems, in fact I can do that right now” Sweet Pea carried on as he knelt down beside the bike, giving it a look over.

“Pea?” Jughead started “Are you alright man?”

“Yep!” he replied in an unrecognisably chipper voice “I’m great.”

“I really don’t think there’s anything you can do with that old thing without the proper equipment, why don’t you just roll it down to the garage?” Sweet Pea’s eyes widened once more and Jughead tried to level with him “You don’t have to stay, you can literally throw it in and leave!”

“I’m sorry, I’m honestly sorry, but I just can’t do it Jug.” Sweet Pea looked defeated as he slowly got to his feet and dragged a hand through his hair. “Please” he sighed.

For a cut-throat leader, Jughead had absolutely no resolve when it came to the people he loved. “Fine, I’ll take it down later, I’ll just have to drag Jelly with me.” He caved as Sweet Pea breathed a sigh of relief “But you’re gonna explain _all_ of this shit to me. Over food. At Pop’s. That _you’re_ gonna buy me.” Jughead added with a smirk.

See? _Cut. Throat._


	3. A Horse with No Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead gets more than he bargained for when he begrudgingly takes his dad's broken bike down to Downtown Motors. It just leaves the question, who exactly is the stranger hiding in the shadows?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Quick note - after the asterisks we switch to Betty's point of view. Hope it's clear!

Jellybean’s tiny legs have to scurry along about four steps for every singular stride that Jughead makes, turning his usual 10 minute walk across town into an excruciatingly slow almost-hike type of deal.

Not only that, his little sister would get distracted by just about anything as they made their way through the streets of the Southside. He’d lost count of the number of times her small hand would tug on his, pointing out a ‘ _doggy_ ’, or a _‘CAT! Look Juggieee.. A cat!’_. Watching her pure excitement as she made new animal friends along the way was endearing enough for Jughead to appease Jellybean each time, but when she started to stop every damn time she saw a car, a trashcan or even a rock, the cute factor soon faded and he decided to draw the metaphorical line.

Jughead wedged the side of his body against the rusty old bike he had been pushing across town with the hand not gripped by five tiny little fingers, making a sudden stop. He reached down to grab Jellybean, his strong hands gripping around her round belly as she squealed in surprise.

“Right, we don’t have all day my little bowlful of Jelly” he smiled as he sat his sister on the worn out seat of the bike, wrapping one arm around her and returning his other hand to the handlebar to steer as he pushed onwards.

He could feel Jellybean’s stomach shaking as she giggled back at him. Soon enough she was reaching forwards, trying to grab at the hefty grips of the handlebars in attempt to ride the bike as she would ride her battered little tricycle back at the trailer park.

Jughead softly pulled her back to sit upright, securing her to the seat and adding under his breath “Don’t want you to be getting any ideas about becoming some untameable biker beast.”

Easily distracted, Jellybean started happily tapping away at her brother’s arm, currently wrapped around her middle.

“Ooh the song!” She chirped, hands still frantically slapping against the leather sleeve of Jughead’s heavy jacket.

Jughead smirked, he knew exactly what she meant before she had to say anything more. Hundreds of memories flooded his mind, images of him many years ago sat on his father’s bike as FP pushed it along and the sound of laughter echoed in his head.

Happy memories, Jughead reminded himself, soon crashing back to reality and struck with a strange feeling as he realised he was practically recreating the scene right now, but taking the place of their father.

She wanted to sing the song that FP would always sing whenever he pushed her on his motorbike, her own (motor-less) bike or just while bouncing her on his knee sat on the couch. Jughead knew the song all too well as FP had done the exact same throughout his own childhood.

“laa laa la la la la” Jellybean began excitedly.

Chuckling to himself, Jughead couldn’t deny her this moment of happiness. He squeezed her tummy before joining in with her song, mustering up the best cowboy swagger he could.

“On the first part of the journey, I was looking at all the life.”

Jellybean squeaked in delight, encouraging him to carry on.

“There were plants and birds, and rocks and things, there was sand and hills and rings.” He carried on as he wheeled the bike down the street, finally nearing their destination.

 

-

 

“Look who it is!” A familiar voice bellowed through the large space as the Jones kids weaved between the scattered cars and bikes in the garage of Downtown Motors.

Jughead turned to see Felix Fogarty, his friend’s grandfather, walking towards them. His warm smile was infectious and Jughead soon found himself grinning back at the ageing man.

“Hi Sir, how have you -”

His greeting was cut off as Mr Fogarty quickly batted his extended hand out of the way to envelop Jughead in a limb-crushing hug.

“It’s been too long since I’ve seen your face around here Jug and I’ve been too busy to ever escape these walls” the man huffed, releasing Jughead from his grip to give his cheek a soft pat before turning his attention to the smaller Jones beside him. “And you little miss Jelly, look how you’ve grown!” he exclaimed as Jellybean held her arms out to him.

“I’m four now!” Jellybean shouted excitedly as Felix lifted her from the seat of the motorbike, setting her on his hip.

“Jeez, such a big girl! And did you ride this hog across town all by yourself?!”

“That’s my horse silly” Jellybean giggled in response.

“ _Oh_ is that right?” Felix looked across to Jughead as if seeking some sort of explanation.

“I guess we’re cowboys today” he offered with a smirk. “We actually brought our _horse_ across to you to see if you had any idea how to fix her up, Fangs was insistent that you and your guys would be the best to ask so my dad took him up on the offer, if that’s ok with you?”

“Of course, not a problem Jug, we can give it a go! I’ll just check over our books to see who’s got a spare minute to take a look” the man gave Jellybean a squeeze before placing her back down on her feet and crouching beside her. “Why don’t you walk your horsey on through to the back and I’ll be right back.”

Jughead smiled at the old man and his unwavering kindness. “Thanks Sir, we really appreciate it.”

“Anything for you Joneses” Felix threw back as he turned towards the office door. He suddenly stopped and looked back over his shoulder at Jughead, quietly adding “Well _most_ of you Joneses” with a sad smile.

Nodding his head, Jughead pushed the bike through to the back garage with Jellybean marching hot on his heels.

 

The little girl began to look around in awe at all of the machinery and equipment lying around. At the onslaught of ‘ _What’s this?’_ and ‘ _What does this do?’_ questions, Jughead gave a heavy sigh. Kids were exhausting. You’d think she’d walked straight into a candy store, not into the back workroom of a greasy garage.

Jughead found himself distracted by thoughts of his mother. In some twisted way it made him happy to see that every other serpent in town had also written her off and wanted nothing to do with her. At least they had a support system. But that only fuelled his worries of having to protect Jellybean from all of the negativity. He had no idea how long it would be before she became wise to the comments constantly thrown around.

Then again, Jughead couldn’t deny that she was a smart and extremely tough kid. She’d probably be the one throwing the most cutting insults directed at their mother soon anyway.

 

Lost in the back and forth of his own mind, Jughead completely tuned out his little sister’s running commentary. He was also completely unaware of the pair of emerald green eyes that had been watching him from a distance.

Until an impossibly soft voice sliced through his inner turmoil, that is.

“That’s a dent puller”

Jughead lifted his eyes from the floor at the sound. Before his mind could process what he was doing in time to stop him, he exhaled a whispered “ _wow_ ”.

Luckily for him, the loud volume of his little sister actually came in handy for once as she shouted out the exact same thing, grinning from ear to ear as she looked up at the girl who just emerged from the shadows.

A sense of relief rushed down Jughead’s spine as he silently thanked his sister for covering for him, intentionally or not, and vowed that he owed her big time.

“What’s it do?” Jellybean asked, now fully invested and happy to be getting some form of attention.

The girl let out a soft giggle as she stepped closer to Jellybean, bending down to her lower level and supporting the weight of the object held between her little hands.

“So we use it to straighten out any small dents or bumps on the surface of a car, or any motor that people bring in here.”

“Cool!” Jellybean’s eyes twinkled with excitement as she continued to stare at the stranger before her and Jughead felt his own eyes light up with a sense of intrigue.

Who the hell was this girl and where did she come from? Why hadn’t he seen her around before? There’s no way he would’ve forgotten a face like hers.

She honest to god looked like she had just walked out of one of Jughead’s wet dreams – blonde hair, legs that went on forever and just to put the final nail in his coffin, a cute smudge of black grease across her cheek.

Jughead had to fight his instinct to cross the space between them and cradle her jaw in his hands. No, _not to kiss her_. Duh. Just to wipe away that pesky bit of grease. Right?

 

 

* * *

 

 

_“You see I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name, it felt good to be out of the rain, in the desert you can remember your name, 'cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain”_

The sound of the soft deep voice cut through Betty’s daydream as she stood by her toolbox, wiping down each piece and putting them back in order. The addition of a young girl shrieking with laughter and trying to join in the sing-along made her heart swell.

It’s not often that customers came into the garage in such a good mood. In her time working there, Betty had learned that Southsiders roamed the streets with permanent scowls etched onto their faces and jaws set in a determined manner, whilst on the other side of the coin, their few and far between Northside customers were automatically in a bad mood from the moment they’d had to step foot across the town’s borderline. Turns out the privileged snobs didn’t seem to like having to turn to the scum of Riverdale for assistance.

Betty rolled her eyes at the thought, closing the lid to her toolbox and tucking her cloth into the pocket of her dungaree shorts.

Curiosity got the better of her and she couldn’t resist the urge pulling at her to take a peek round the door that led to the main shopfloor to locate the source of the rare sounds of happiness.

Overhearing some chatter between Mr. Fogarty and the mystery man, Betty quietly stepped up to the sliding door, resting her back against the cool steel and leaning her head closer to the edge so she could eavesdrop a bit better.

If anything, her life experiences had taught her to trust no one and expect the worst, at least that way it’s less disappointing when people let you down. And on the off-chance that anything remotely good happens, then hell that’s an added bonus!

 

As slowly as possible, she inched her head towards the edge of the door, held open on its sliding rail.

_“Why don’t you walk your horsey on through to the back and I’ll be right back.”_

She heard Mr Fogarty say as she neared dangerously close to catching a glimpse of the strangers on the other side of the door.

Betty felt her heart stop as she froze against it, they were coming her way.

_“Shit”_ she hissed.

What she wouldn’t give to have Harry Potter’s invisibility blanket right now or hey, even to simply disappear didn’t sound like the worst thing.

She had always been a wallflower by nature, quietly observing social situations and interactions in favour of actually getting involved. It was better that way than being the centre of attention, and after a lifetime spent under the scrutinising eye of Alice Cooper she’d already had her fair share of judgement thrown her way.

Scurrying to the side of the room, Betty quickly hid behind the shelving units, figuring she’d be obscured from view by the tyres and parts they had stored there.

 

Just as she glanced back across to the open door, a young man pushing a battered bike strolled through. She was so enamoured by the curly black locks sweeping across his forehead and the leather clinging to his arms that she almost forgot to breathe. Never mind notice the small girl following behind him.

Mentally scolding herself, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and took a steadying breath.

As soon as her eyes snapped open, they quickly darted between the pair stood across the room and recognised their undeniably similar looks. They had the same jet black hair that looked as unruly as they did in their denim and leather. Adorable.

_Father and daughter,_ she surmised, feeling her heart warming at the sight of this man spending quality time with his kid. And judging by the girl’s excitement this was one of her favourite places to come.

Betty smiled to herself, she could relate.

 

The man stood back, leaning his body weight against the bike he had just propped up, legs extended out in front of him with his booted feet crossed at the ankle. He was no longer acknowledging his daughter’s bombardment of questions, lost in his own world as he stared down at the ground. _Or maybe he just didn’t know any of the answers,_ she mused to herself.

She took a deep breath in, preparing to step out from the shadows before it reached the point of being beyond embarrassing if her cover was to be blown.

She wasn’t sure why she’d made the decision to swallow her doubts and ignore the objections her mind was screaming at her. Maybe it was how much she related to the young girl before her, or maybe it was the fact that her heart skipped a beat each time she looked at the young _man_ before her.

Either way, her heart took the reins, just this once.

Taking the child’s next question (and the slightly frightening fact she had started to gain confidence and actually pick things up) as a cue, Betty stepped out from the shadows, setting her sights on the least intimidating of the pair first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally met Betty.. Hope you're as excited about this as the Joneses are!
> 
> and I hope you enjoyed the third chapter :)
> 
> NOTE  
> Song lyrics mentioned and Chapter Title reference:  
> America - A Horse with No Name


	4. An Angel at Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead pines whilst Jellybean and the mysterious blonde girl spend some time bonding over a broken motorbike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for checking out my new update.  
> This is a pretty short but fluffy chapter full of a pining and curious Jughead, hope you all enjoy :)

Angels. That’s all he could think of when he looked at the curious blonde in front of him.

The type that gathered, perched together on giant fluffy clouds as they flashed golden smiles at the other heavenly beings surrounding them and flapped their beautiful feathery wings.

These images swarmed his mind, magnifying the aura of the ethereal beauty before him.

 

It was her laugh that had booted him over the edge of sanity. A soft sound that somehow made him feel lighter than air. She had giggled as she gently took the object (that he now knows is a ‘dent puller’ – seems she has brains as well as beauty) out of JB’s hands and quickly replaced it with a safer, more age-appropriate piece of cloth before his little sister had a second to make a fuss.

“You wanna help me figure out what’s wrong with your lovely bike here?” She spoke, still crouched in front of the young girl.

Jellybean nodded enthusiastically, with a huge grin now taking up her entire face.

Almost as if seeking his permission, the angel looked up, her green eyes enchanting his own blue ones as he lost himself in their perfect emerald hues for the very first time.

“If that’s okay with you?” She added in a quiet voice, not breaking eye contact.

Jughead had to shake himself from the spell he was certain had just been cast over him, straightening up from his slouched position against his bike and nervously running his now very sweaty palms down the sides of his jeans.

He had been silent now for a beat too long and the added pressure was choking him.

He willed himself to speak, shout, or even grunt in response. At this point _any_ kind of noise would work. Anything to stop him standing there like some lovestruck little boy with his tongue tied.

Jughead cleared his throat sharply, his brain working overtime to desperately scramble together some sort of coherent response.

“Yeah, uh,” _good start Jughead, now keep going..._ “I-I mean, sure that’s fine, JB would love to help, go ahead you guys. I don’t think there’s anything _right_ with it to be honest”

He took a few steps sideways to get out of the way, leaving a clear workspace around the beaten up bike.

With a polite nod, the girl rose from JB’s side, turning towards the bike with little Jellybean following her as happily as the rats followed the pied piper.

Jughead felt something in his gut pulling him to follow suit as he watched her ponytail swing across her delicate neck with each step she that took, but he quickly caught himself before he was drawn in too far.

_I am a serpent._ He reminded himself. _Not a rat. We snakes eat rodents for dinner._

God he needed to work on his strength if he ever wanted to be a leader as respected as his dad was. And still is for that matter.

He had big boots to fill in their community and he, alongside everyone else, knew it.

 

“The horsey won’t work” Jellybean pouted, her small hand patting the front tyre.

“Well that’s what I’m here for JB!” He heard the girl respond brightly as Fangs’ grandfather entered the workroom.

“Ah perfect, just the young lady I was looking for!” Felix smiled as he looked across to see the two girls looking the bike up and down.

Watching Jellybean subtly copy every move the older girl made was crushing Jughead’s heart. She made quite the mirror, doing an excellent job of mimicking every slight movement and small gesture, even down to tightening a non-existent ponytail on the back of her head. She so desperately needed more female role models in her life. Not that the male ones didn’t love her enough between them, she just lacked kind-hearted women in her little world. Ones she could look up to and get advice from. She’d need help and support in the future with girl problems that Jughead knew he and his father would be useless with.

“I was gonna ask you to take a look at Mr Jones’ old bike here, but looks like you and your little helper beat me to it!”

“HORSEY” Jellybean interrupted, crossing her arms and huffing out a short breath. She was clearly annoyed at how many times she’d had to clarify that it was obviously a horse they were having trouble with, not a bike.

“Ah yes, my apologies Miss Jones” Felix chuckled, turning back to look at Jughead and ushering him to the side, out of earshot of the girls.

 

The moment Felix lowered his voice and started to ask him questions about how his family were ‘really doing’, Jughead felt the blood racing through his veins ice over. He didn’t doubt that it was coming from a place of love and concern on Felix’s part, but Jughead refused to show any sign of weakness when it came to the subject of his mother. He zoned out of the conversation, giving the occasional nod and uttering one-word responses when necessary.

As soon as possible, Jughead changed the subject, asking the older man about Fangs’ brother and how he was getting along with his college applications. Felix seemed happy to take the bait, spilling out into a whole new conversation about how the youngest Fogarty may be the smartest of them all and how proud he was of him for getting an interview.

 

He wasn’t sure how long they (or more accurately, Felix) had been standing there speaking for, but a bell rang from the front of the garage, signalling the arrival of a new customer. Jughead had never been more grateful to avoid a conversation with Mr Fogarty. He loved the man to pieces but talking about his family’s current situation was still too painful for him. Too raw.

_Saved by the bell._

 

Watching as Felix shuffled out to the main shopfloor, Jughead turned back round to the sound of the bike engine roaring to life as Jellybean stood behind the girl, jumping and squealing in excitement. She clenched the dirty rag in her tiny fists, waving it in the air and cheering loudly.

“We did it, we did it!” She hollered.

The blonde girl turned from the bike to face JB, holding up her hand for a high-five. Jughead watched as his little sister hit her hand in a slap that was too hard for your average pre-schooler, before she grabbed her hand and pulled her into a crushing hug.

He smiled at the scene before him, feeling the ice slowly melt away from his heart.

“Aren’t you just a little star JB, you did so well!” She exclaimed, mirroring the grin that Jellybean was still beaming up at her in awe.

“You fixed it?! That’s my girl!” Jughead chimed in, walking across to ruffle the beanie on her small head. Jellybean lifted the hat from her eyes with a small sigh and both of the girls laughed.

 

Felix appeared back in the doorway at that moment.

“Thought I heard that horse of yours kicking back to life in here, great job girls!” Felix’s eyes twinkled as he winked at the blonde girl that stood beside Jughead and Jellybean. “Hey JB, you still like Sour Patch Kids?”

The young girl’s eyes lit up at the question.

“I hear our good friend Betty here always keeps a stash in the office and I know for a fact that she's great at sharing” he continued.

Jellybean gasped loudly before smiling up at her new friend and running out to follow Mr Fogarty.

 

Jughead cleared his throat, now feeling nervous to be in the room alone with this beautiful creature for the first time.

_Betty. What a lovely name to match an extraordinarily lovely face._

“Thanks for fixing her up for us” he offered, voice low and eyes even lower as he studied the floor.

“No worries, that’s my job” Betty laughed in return, “I couldn’t have done it without JB’s help though.”

Jughead looked up to find her quickly diverting her gaze from him. She was suddenly very interested in her toolbox, rearranging each piece to fit at the perfect angle.

“She seems to be pretty taken with you, thanks for involving her.”

She finally closed the lid of her toolbox and looked across at Jughead.

“Really, it was my pleasure, she’s such a sweet little girl,” she replied. The honesty in her eyes caught Jughead slightly off-guard. “I bet you’re so proud” she added with a soft smile.

Jughead couldn’t help but smile back. He _was_ proud of JB and how she had always been such a loveable kid, despite all they had been through.

 

Betty’s soft voice dragged him out of his haze as she spoke in a timid voice.

“I should get back to work” she muttered as she picked up her toolbox and started to leave. “It really was great meeting you and your daughter, I hope I see you both around.”

With a small wave she disappeared through the doors.

Jughead stood there, rooted to the spot, smiling like an idiot for a long while after she had left.

_Wow._ She was unlike anyone he’d ever met before. _And she actually wants to see me again._

Her gentle smile replayed over and over in his mind, alongside the words she had spoken.

Then it hit him like a sucker punch to the face.

_‘It really was great meeting you and your daughter.’_

_‘You and your daughter.’_

_‘Your daughter.’_

Daughter? _Wait..._ _MY_ _daughter?!_


	5. Daddy Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead's mind is reeling after Betty assumes he and Jellybean are father and daughter.  
> Meanwhile Betty's mind is reeling for other reasons...  
> (OR we get a little peek into the angst-ridden minds of our beloved Bughead)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> This is a bit of a filler chapter, giving us a bit more background info on Betty and Jughead's own struggles before we dive into all of the good stuff.  
> Sorry for the delay in updating, I'm in the middle of exams and life gets stressful sometimes!  
> I hope you enjoy this angsty little chapter anyways! As always, thank you for reading :)
> 
> *WARNING* Implied references to self-harm and questionable coping mechanisms.  
> *WARNING* Descriptions of panic attacks and anxiety.

With eyes as wide as saucers, Jughead’s feet moved underneath him before he could think better of it, heavy boots scuffing against the rough concrete.

“Betty!” He shouted after her into the open space.

He pretended not to notice how her name felt like it belonged on his tongue.

The echo of his voice bounced off the garage walls, sending the tones of desperation right back to him as he cringed at the sound.

 

It’s not that he wouldn’t be proud to say that Jellybean was his daughter – it’s just that it wasn’t true. And that the statement alone would have so many implications.

 

_I’d be a young father. A very young father._

_But I guess Betty doesn’t know how old I am._

 

_It’s likely I’d have a partner._

_But I guess Betty doesn’t know about my relationship status. Or care for that matter._

 

_If not a partner, there would be a biological certainty that some form of mother-of-Jellybean-woman was wandering around the place somewhere, with a permanent connection to me and Jelly._

 

He felt utter dread swirling inside his stomach at the thought that Betty assumed he was with someone else romantically.

At this point Jughead couldn’t form any kind of defence for himself over why it bothered him so much. He’d only just met the girl for god’s sake.

Furthermore, for all he knew _she_ was with someone else.

For some inexplicable reason he was enamoured with her. Maybe it was those green eyes that pierced right into his soul, or maybe it was her passion and knowledge of cars and bikes that got him excited, or maybe it was how sweet she was with JB, or maybe it was all of the above.

Yeah, it was probably all of the above.

 

 “Betty?” He tried again in a lighter voice, the desperation oozing out of him once more. He begrudgingly accepted the fact that he was too late as his eyes scanned across the empty workshop.

She’d disappeared from sight, an angel escaping the light of day and slipping away to hide back in the shadows.

She probably had a busy schedule anyway and he didn’t want to take up more of her time than he and his shitty old bike already had done.

Jughead grunted as he shuffled towards the front of the garage, following the sound of Jellybean and Felix Fogarty’s voices. He desperately needed to get his feelings in check and back under control. There was no point falling for someone like Betty.

Who did he think he was? She was way out of his league. In fact, she was so far from his league that they may as well be playing two sports as different as world-class MMA and fucking amateur chess.

Something so full of brightness and light did not belong in his world. She had no place there. Good things simply never did.

Nothing good ever sticks around in the sad life of Jughead Jones.

 

Jughead’s brain carried on working overtime as he made his way into Mr Fogarty’s office, mood now low as ever as he cannonballed back into the dark and lonely mindset that had dominated his youth. A recovering alcoholic father and a barely-there mother who caused a shitstorm with her drug dealing before walking out on all of them. Wow.

He needed to keep his expectations down. How could he forget?

Set them low, there’s less room for disappointment then. That was a lesson he’d learnt the hard way.

 

 * * *

 

Betty couldn’t keep her hands from shaking as she slid the deadbolt into place, locking herself into the women’s washroom at the back of the car garage.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, wishing she could also force down the memories that had sprung back up into her head. The leather-clad duo that had just visited the workshop had tugged at her heart strings violently. Little Jellybean was a ray of sunshine and her enthusiasm for cars and engines reminded Betty of herself at that age. She would spend every second she possibly could with her own father in their garage when she was younger, working under the hood of old cars as he taught her everything she knows now.

As much as she cherished those precious memories, they were tainted now. So much had changed since then. Her father wasn’t the only one who was a different person now, Betty was too. She wasn’t that care-free young girl anymore. Getting straight As and the mystery of who would ask her to prom weren’t the biggest worries in her life. Hell, she wished they were, but life doesn’t work that way. Life simply doesn’t care.

But Jellybean and her father still had that care-free attitude radiating off them. The way he had sung that silly horse song just to get her to laugh and how attentive he was to her every move, praising her and proudly calling her ‘his girl’. Everything about them made Betty’s heart ache, right down to their matching sets of beautiful ocean eyes.

 

She hadn’t missed the serpent on the back of Jughead’s leather jacket. Those piercing eyes and poisonous tongue seemed to haunt her on the Southside, they were everywhere she turned.

Better than the pair of eyes that haunted her on the Northside, she thought to herself.

Her past experiences with many different Serpents had taught her to remain wary of all of them. At the end of day, they were a hardcore biker gang above all else. Although the members differed along a scale of amazingly kind-hearted to ruthlessly cold-hearted, so she had to take each one as they came.

The Fogartys had been so welcoming, treating her as part of their family when she needed it the most. And after watching Jughead and little Jellybean interact with Felix, they seemed to slot right into that family too.

Other serpents she had faced had not been so nice. Put it this way, she’d be a millionaire living in a stunning beach house in Hawaii if she had a dollar (or a cent) for each time she had been grabbed, shoulder barged or growled at by the intoxicated snakes that stumbled out, usually from the doors of the Whyte Wyrm, onto the streets of the Southside.

But it was nothing Betty couldn’t handle. The past few years had built her armour into something almost indestructible. Nothing could match the level of evil she hade been forced to face.

In attempt to protect that armour, she intentionally remained closed off and distant. She had no reason to connect to anyone else here. She was there to escape and find a better life and that was that.

With that in mind, Betty scolded herself for coming out and interacting with the Joneses when she should have stayed safe behind the scenes. But there was something about the pair that had drawn her out of the shadows before she could think to stop herself.

_‘I hope I see you both around.’_ Betty scoffed as she recalled her words.

Who the fuck did she think she was? She’d already put enough people in danger. No need to ruin the lives of more innocent victims. What was the point in seeking a new start if she couldn’t even obey her own rules and stick to the boundaries she had set for a reason.

She felt her breathing become laboured as her mind delved into the depths of despair. She slowly pressed her forehead to the cool door in front of her, momentarily forgetting the repulsive hygiene levels of the bathroom stall she was in.

Her panic attacks had been common through her teenage years, first occurring from the pressure she put on herself, and then from the pressure her father had put on all of the family and the consequences of his actions. Hours upon hours upon _hours_ of counselling sessions had not managed to heal the cracks in her mind, never mind the cracks along the surface of her palms.

She felt the slight pinch of her nails across the delicate skin, her last attempt to regain some essence of control in the situation. But her mind was reeling and it was becoming harder and harder to take a breath, and just as the many times before, Betty found herself too far gone.


End file.
